The Power of National Identity in the Foreign Policy of Georgia

Abstract

The article discusses the factors that influence the formation and determination of Georgia's foreign policy orientation, with a particular focus on the relationship between national identity and foreign policy. For Georgia, being a small and geopolitically complex state, foreign policy orientation plays a crucial role in protecting and preserving the country's security, sovereignty, identity, territorial integrity, and independence. It should be noted that, for any sovereign state, foreign policy is the most important tools of realizing national interests. A correct foreign policy course ensures the fulfillment of national interests and a rightful place in the international system. Furthermore, it's worth noting that for Georgia, a small and weak country, the protection and preservation of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity has been of vital importance both since the collapse of the Soviet Union and in the present day. Consequently, national interests serve as the primary determining factor in shaping the country's foreign policy orientation. As previously mentioned, the national interests of the state determine the foreign policy. However, when analysing the formation of foreign policy orientation, it is essential to consider factors such as the national identity. According to the theory of constructivism, national identity has a significant impact on a state's foreign policy, and therefore, the subject of constructivism's study is the relationship between national identity and the state's foreign policy. Constructivism considers identity as an empirical issue to be examined within a historical context. Historical experiences play a significant role in national identity formation and therefore it is impossible to separate national identity from history. The country's future depends on the choices people make from its history, how they envision themselves as a community, and their ongoing efforts to reshape the nation. The article reviews national identity formation and addresses various aspects, including the structure of society, which consists of a social cognitive structure and within which many discursive formations function. Identity constitutes these formations. Discursive formations and identity represent a social cognitive structure. When forming foreign policy orientation, it is important to take into account issues such as cultural values, past experience, etc. To understand the dynamics of foreign policy creation, it is essential to assess how the identity has developed and what new intellectual factors the polity has internalized. A polity’s national identity is very much a result of how it percepts its history - opinions and perceptions that collect over time and form a society’s “collective memory”. Discussion of the relationship between foreign policy and national identity and the power of national identity in the formation of foreign policy orientation is the main and key issue of the article. To characterize the national identity of Georgia and justify the relevance of the issue, the article will focus one of the dominant foreign policy courses - the Western orientation of the country.